■ Linda Johnson Rice was the first African American woman to be
named chief executive officer of a company listed among the top five of
the Black Enterprise 100s, the nation's largest black-owned
companies. Johnson Publishing, founded by Rice's father, John H.
Johnson, had more than $400 million in sales as of 2002 and was the number
one black-owned, privately held publishing company in the world, worth
$350 million and employing more than 2,500 people. The company opened the
eyes of mainstream American businesses to the multibillion-dollar
influence of the African American consumer market by convincing mainstream
companies that they would be well served by advertising in magazines aimed
at black readers. At the same time, the company played a key role in
establishing the careers of many African American professionals in
publishing and advertising.

EARLY LIFE

Born in Chicago, Rice developed interests as an equestrian and opera
singer. However, she always had a keen interest in the family business.
From the age of six, she often went straight from school to the Johnson
Publishing headquarters south of Chicago's downtown loop.
"It was a giant baby-sitter," Rice recalled (
USC Trojan Family Magazine
, Winter 2002). As she grew, the young Rice began to play a role in the
family business. Her father would often include her in meetings with
editors debating about which photos to feature as
Ebony
covers, and the precocious schoolgirl participated actively in the
discussions. In addition, Rice would often travel with her mother to
France and Italy to shop for haute couture for the Ebony Fashion Fair, a
traveling fashion show that raised money for charity.

Rice attended the University of Southern California (USC), earning a BA in
journalism in 1980. She collected her first full-time paycheck in 1980
when she became the fashion editor at Johnson Publishing. Over the next
several years she held the titles of vice president, president, and chief
operating officer. At the same time, she attended Northwestern
University's J. L. Kellogg School of Management, earning an MBA in
1988. Rice's early years at Johnson Publishing were noted by
William Berry, a University of Illinois journalism professor who was an
editor at
Ebony
for seven years: "I've watched her career over the years,
and she's retained the availability of an ordinary person who has
extraordinary access to power and capital" (
USC Trojan Family Magazine
, Winter 2002).

BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENTS

After her promotion to CEO in 2002, Rice oversaw the production of
Ebony
and
Jet
magazines and was executive producer of a television show,
Ebony/Jet Showcase
. In addition, she developed an aggressive advertising campaign for
Fashion Fair Cosmetics, which included special events, more gifts with
purchases, and glitzier signage in stores. Without changing any of the
products, she attempted to further brand them in various arenas, such as
video and television.

Rice sat on several corporate boards of directors, including Continental
Bank Corporation, Kimberly Clark, and Bausch & Lomb. She was also
on the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, the board of
directors of Magazine Publishers of
America, the Museum of Contemporary Art Board of Trustees, and the USC
Board of Trustees. She was also a member of the National Association of
Black Journalists.

MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES

Johnson Publishing's change in leadership from John H. Johnson to
Linda Johnson Rice was managed sensitively and smoothly, said employees,
because of Rice's vision and ability to inspire. In her first few
months as CEO, she spent a large portion of each day meeting with groups
of employees at all levels of the company. "My door is hardly ever
closed," she said. "I'm not the type of CEO that runs
a dictatorship, because I don't think that gets you
anywhere" (
USC Trojan Family Magazine
, Winter 2002). Like her father, Rice took pride in knowing the details of
the company, approving story lists for each issue and making the final
decisions on
Ebony
covers. According to Rice, "Out of 12 covers a year, you want 12
hits. You want something out there that is appealing and eyecatching.
I'd be crazy not to look at them" (
USC Trojan Family Magazine
, Winter 2002).

With the transition in leadership came a change in managerial style. Rice
described her father as an entrepreneur with a fiery temper and the vision
required for the birth and growth of a business, while she described
herself as a more patient operations person dedicated to managing the size
and growth of an established business. Even with more than 2,500 employees
nationwide, Johnson Publishing maintained a family atmosphere that
reflected the company's leadership, keeping an open-door policy,
hand-signing paychecks, and retaining many employees 30 years or longer.
Rice was also dedicated to maintaining a healthy mix of business and
family time, making a habit of eating Sunday dinners at various local
restaurants with her daughter and friends.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND PHILOSOPHY

Rice responded to critics that claimed
Ebony
and
Jet
were not serious reflections of African American issues by stating,
"We are not an investigative magazine…. We are a feature
magazine. We are not here to pick apart African Americans. We are here to
celebrate, and uplift, and inspire" (
USC Trojan Family Magazine
, Winter 2002). Nonetheless, Rice planned to devote more space in both
magazines to the issues of economic equality, education, and drug abuse.

Not a believer in complacency or stagnation, Rice said her drive was
inspired both by seeing employees work hard to put out the magazines and
hearing the positive responses of readers. "My father built an
incredible business, and I don't want to let him down," she
said (
USC Trojan Family Magazine
, Winter 2002). Despite several offers, Rice never considered selling the
family business, maintaining the spirit of family pride in ownership and
control that outweighed the spirit of capitalism.

Rice took the reins to guide the company through a turbulent time in
publishing, with advertising revenues throughout the industry the lowest
in years. Although
Ebony
and
Jet
overwhelmingly dominated the black publishing market in 2002, they faced
mounting competition from emerging niche magazines, such as
Essence, Vibe
, and
Black Enterprise
. Despite the proliferation of magazine titles, however,
Jet
had a circulation of more than 950,000, and
Ebony
maintained a circulation of more than 10 million readers and 1 million
subscribers.

At the same time, Fashion Fair Cosmetics competed with major makeup
manufacturers such as Estée Lauder for consumers of various ethnic
backgrounds. However, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, the largest black-owned
cosmetics firm in the world, selling in 2,500 stores on three continents,
was the world's number one line of makeup and skin care products
for women of color. In addition, as of 2004 more than 300,000 patrons
attended the Ebony Fashion Fair per year, and the show had raised a total
of $49 million for charity, the majority of which was used for
scholarships for 475 students.

See also
entry on Johnson Publishing Company in
International Directory of Company Histories
.